Panel lighting devices are used for a number of lighting applications. A lighting panel may be used, for example, as a backlighting unit (BLU) for an LCD display. Backlighting units commonly rely on an arrangement of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL's) within a reflective enclosure. For example, referring to FIG. 1, which is a side view of a backlighting unit of the prior art, multiple CCFL's 1 can be arranged between a reflective surface 2 and an LCD panel 3. Light from the CCFL's 1 can be reflected from the reflective surface 2 and partially reflected from the inside surface of the LCD panel 3. A portion of the light directed to the LCD panel 3 can transmitted to provide illumination for the LCD panel 3. The combination of the light directly transmitted to the LCD panel 3 from the CCFL's 1 and the reflected light from the various surfaces can create a relatively uniform backlighting unit. The CCFL's 3, however, can require higher than signal level voltages and can generate undesirable amounts of heat, which can be problematic to dissipate.